Audio Downloads and Other Recent Works

 

Books by Bob Avakian

Except where indicated, the books below are available from Insight Press and amazon.com

cover of From Ike to
                Mao and Beyond:  My Journey from Mainstream America to
                Revolutionary Communist  A Memoir by Bob Avakian

From Ike to Mao and Beyond:
My Journey from Mainstream America to Revolutionary Communist
A Memoir by Bob Avakian
(Insight Press, 2005)

"Bob Avakian is a long distance runner in the freedom struggle against imperialism, racism and capitalism. His voice and witness are indispensable in our efforts to enhance the wretched of the earth. And his powerful story of commitment is timely."

— Cornel West

Bob Avakian has written a memoir containing three unique but interwoven stories. The first tells of a white middle-class kid growing up in ’50s America who goes to an integrated high school and has his world turned around; the second of a young man who overcomes a nearfatal disease and jumps with both feet into the heady swirl of Berkeley in the '60s; and the third of a radical activist who matures into a tempered revolutionary communist leader. If you think about the past or if you urgently care about the future... if you want to hear a unique voice of utter realism and deep humanity... and if you dare to have your assumptions challenged and your stereotypes overturned then you won’t want to miss this book.

cover of Observations on Art and Culture, Science and
	           Philosophy by Bob Avakian

Observations on Art and Culture, Science and Philosophy
by Bob Avakian
(Insight Press, 2005)

"If you don’t have a poetic spirit – or at least a poetic side – it is very dangerous for you to lead a Marxist movement or be the leader of a socialist state."

— Bob Avakian, Observations

This provocative collection of reflections and observations by Bob Avakian on art, culture, science and philosophy offers a rare treat. Excerpted from formal talks as well as more informal discussions and conversations, many of the texts in this collection allow the reader to experience firsthand the freewheeling Bob Avakian—in the process of developing his thinking and reenvisioning the communist project on a wide range of controversies, from the dictatorship of the proletariat to discussions of truth, beauty, science and imagination.

cover of Preaching from a Pulpit of Bones  by Bob Avakian

Preaching from a Pulpit of Bones:
We Need Morality But Not Traditional Morality
by Bob Avakian
(Insight Press, 1999)

This provocative book includes a scathing refutation of the reality behind conservative Christian fundamentalist morality, a critical look at the limitations of "liberation theology," including a discussion of Jim Wallis' book, The Soul of Politics, and an inspiring look at morality from a revolutionary perspective. This work is even more timely today as it was when it was published in 1999. Bob Avakian says in the Prologue that "From whatever vantage point one looks, it is unmistakable that there is what could be called a 'moral crisis' in America. There has been, to a significant degree, 'a breakdown of traditional morality.' But the answer to this—at least the answer that is in the interests of the majority of people in the U.S. and the overwhelming majority of humanity—is not a more aggressive assertion of that 'traditional morality' but winning people to a radically different morality, in the process of radically transforming society and the world as a whole."

cover of Marxism and the Call of the Future:
              Conversations on Ethics, History and Politics  by
              Bob Avakian and Bill Martin

Marxism and the Call of the Future:
Conversations on Ethics, History and Politics
by Bob Avakian and Bill Martin
(Open Court, 2005)
Foreword by Slavoj Žižek
Preface by Raymond Lotta
(available from Open Court and amazon.com)

This book offers readers a rare chance to witness a fascinating encounter between a radical social theorist and philosopher and a visionary communist leader and thinker. The challenging and unpredictable dialogue bristles with insights and provocations. Avakian and Martin wrestle with big questions that have to do with the state of the world and the possibility for radical change. The scope and relevance of Marxism, and the nature and reach of communist revolution, are at the heart of this rich and lively dialogue.

The books below are available from RCP Publications and amazon.com

cover of Phony Communism Is Dead... Long Live Real Communism! by Bob Avakian

Phony Communism Is Dead... Long Live Real Communism!
by Bob Avakian (1992)

A bold and challenging book that cuts right to the debate of our times. Is capitalism the best of all possible worlds? Avakian contrasts the brutal realities of the free market to the claims of its defenders. Has communism proven to be a disastrous nightmare? Avakian refutes the charges that socialist economies are unworkable and that communism suppresses individuality and freedom. But he probes deeper, into the real history and lessons of revolution, especially the Maoist Cultural Revolution. Can revolutions survive in a hostile world? How can they avoid going sour? And is it really possible to move society beyond private gain and money relations? Bob Avakian shows that communism is both visionary and practical. If you want to know what real communism is about, and if you wonder whether society has to be run as a dog-eat-dog enterprise, then you will find this book as timely as it is provocative.

cover of Democracy: Can't We Do Better Than That? by Bob Avakian

Democracy: Can't We Do Better Than That?
by Bob Avakian (1986)

"In political discussion, 'democracy' is normally treated as a simple, unquestioned, timeless good against which all forms of political life can be objectively tested. Avakian attempts to go to the root of democratic theory and practice by a detailed examination of its sources and history, and, as a result, to show whose class interests are served by democratic institutions that only appear to serve everyone's interests. Avakian presents incisive critiques of the standard arguments for democracy in such classics as de Tocqueville's Democracy in America and Arendt's The Origins of Totalitarianism. In addition, the author engages in radical and socialist reintrpretations of democracy which he finds still tied to the prevailing bourgeois theories. Avakian argues his position on the decisive limitations of democracy in such a way that careful readers are compelled to clarify and rethink their own views. Avakian has written a serious and demanding work of political philosophy and political practice."

— Norman K. Gottwald, editor of
The Bible and Liberation:
Political and Social Hermeneutics

Also:

  • Reflections, Sketches, and Provocations: Essays and Commentary, 1981–1987
    by Bob Avakian (1990)
  • Liberation Without Gods
    by Bob Avakian
  • For a Harvest of Dragons: On the "Crisis of Marxism" and the Power of Marxism – Now More than Ever: An Essay Marking the 100th Anniversary of Marx's Death
    by Bob Avakian (1983)
  • Could We Really Win? Prospects for Revolution
    by Bob Avakian (1991)
  • Bullets
    From the Writings, Speeches, and Interviews of Bob Avakian (1985)
  • A Horrible End: Or, An End to the Horror
    by Bob Avakian (1984)
  • Mao Tsetung's Immortal Contributions
    by Bob Avakian (1979)
  • The Loss in China and The Revolutionary Legacy Of Mao Tsetung
    Speech by Bob Avakian, Chairman of the Central Committee of the Revolutionary Communist Party, USA
    Delivered at the Mao Tsetung Memorial Meetings (1978)